Final ResponsibilityBy Moshe KatzCEOIsraeli Krav International

There is much discussion today about the Iranian nuclear deal and the Iranian threat. A phrase from the Israeli intelligence service caught my attention; sometimes even our experts make mistakes.

Wow. That was a bold admission but one that should not surprise anyone. If we were to compile a list of blunders made by political and military leaders we would need not one book but a complete series! Mistakes made by experts led to wars that devastated the world. The phrase political blunders is more correct than the phrase Common Sense.

And how does that affect us.

Tragically barely a week ago Israeli parents trusted the authorities and allowed their teenagers to go on a trip despite warnings of floods. The results were devastating. But we are all guilty. We hear of home break-ins, of stabbings, of rape and of every form of violence, but what do we do?

We trust the authorities. We sleep well at night because we know the police and the military and the authorities have assessed the situation and have assured us that all is well. We sleep well.

I have great respect for all those involved in security. We need them, we depend on them but they will be the first to tell you that they also need us. They need us to do our share.

We must be prepared. We must take every precaution. We have a role to play in our own defense.

You send your child to school and you trust the teachers. Does that mean you have washed your hands of them? No. You must still be the parent, you must make sure they are being taught correctly and raised correctly for the final word is your word. You are still responsible.

It is the same with our personal protection. We must realize that others can and will make mistakes. Now we cannot build our own missiles or protect our homes from nuclear attack but there is much we can do. We can secure our homes with bomb shelters, we can devise a home security system, gates and alarms, and we can, we must, train our entire family in self defense. We are the first line of defense in many cases, and the last line of defense in other cases. The ultimate responsibility rests on our shoulders.